Niccolò Fabi
Novo Mesto

THE REVIEW

It's a shame that in Italy we are used to thinking that in order to listen to good music (or even to enjoy a good film), we must always refer to foreign artists (Americans and the English above all). This makes the little good that our country offers us significantly undervalued.

Fabi is among those few artists who truly deserve more recognition. However, even here it is not difficult to fall into prejudice. Indeed, when thinking of Fabi, it's easy for the banal refrain of some of his earlier songs ("Capelli" first and foremost) to come to mind, which are part of the first phase of his career. Now F. has grown, matured, separated from certain "parameters" that made him a bit trivial in his lyrics. Personally, I believe that in Italy, he is currently among the best singer-songwriters. I challenge anyone to find banality within a track from the latter part of his discography. An artist like this should have solid support from the press, the public, and so on... yet he ends up making albums that very few people will listen to. This is a pity.

"Novo Mesto" follows "La cura del tempo" (the latter being a truly sensational album), and was recorded entirely in the Slovenian city Novo Mesto, which indeed gives the album its name. It opens with the title track "Novo Mesto", embellished by a well-crafted arrangement, followed by "Oriente", one of my favorite songs. "Mettere le ali" highlights the need to abandon all the beliefs that often limit us; "Costruire" is one of those songs that makes F. one of the best songwriters around. Colored by a touch of the author's style is "Meraviglia", which precedes the existential "Evaporare." "La bellezza" and "Dentro" are the tracks given the task of excellently closing a journey that tackles existential issues and that inevitably touches you and makes you, in certain respects, more aware... The last track is the half-successful "So lonely", a song by "Sting & co.", a piece to which F. has been particularly attached since he was young.

I believe that in some way F. represents the present and future of Italian singer-songwriter music and, as such, should be safeguarded. We should stop making unnecessary and senseless comparisons with the past, which will nevertheless remain majestic forever, in an effort to ensure that part of today's singer-songwriter music will someday be remembered as true music.

"...and to build is to be able to renounce perfection.."